New gym in town hopes it's a good fit

Kenzie Kinney shows off one of the workout machines at Youfit Health Clubs in Murrieta. The new facility targets first-time gym users and average people looking for an inexpensive, no-frills workout experience.
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Kenzie Kinney shows off one of the workout machines at Youfit Health Clubs in Murrieta. The new facility targets first-time gym users and average people looking for an inexpensive, no-frills workout experience.

The Southern California health club scene is populated with heavyweight brands such as Gold's Gym, LA Fitness and 24-Hour Fitness.

By next week they will be joined in Murrieta by an upstart outfit called Youfit Health Clubs. This will be the company's first gym in California. Youfit spokesman Steve Winston said You Fit has 54 locations in Florida, Georgia and Arizona.

Company founder Rick Berks says he is not intimidated by the prospect of breaking into the Southern California market. He says it's competitive everywhere.

"I don't see that area is any different from anywhere else we're at," Berks said. "I mean, people are people and they like value for their money. And we give people great value for their money. I think that's a universal concept."

Their pitch is simple -- a low-pressure, no-frills training center for average people with a basic membership going for $10 a month. One of their hooks, according to club manager Brian Joy, is the lime green and purple color scheme that is splashed all over the 20,000-square-foot facility at 39681 Avenida Acacias.

"It's comfortable, it's inviting," Joy said. "If you think about it -- you get on any piece of equipment here and it's not as intimidating."

So far, the colors and the concept appear to have some appeal, Joy said "a couple hundred" people have signed up for memberships as of the middle of this week. An introductory offer featuring a $1 down payment is available for the first 500 people who sign up at the Murrieta club, Joy said.

Youfit also offers a plan for $19.99 a month -- the lime membership -- that includes discounts on drinks and protein shakes, access to any other Youfit gym and the right to bring a guest, for free, during any visit.

"This way if you want somebody to work out with you -- to sort of motivate you to get your butt off the couch -- you can," Joy said.

Winston said there is another "green" component to the business plan. The floors, he said, are made of a rubber composite of recycled tires and sneakers.

According to the market search company IBISWorld, health clubs represent a $26 billion a year industry that has grown about 1.4 percent annually since 2008.

A study last year by the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, or IHRSA, found that 16 percent of the respondents in the United States said they belonged to a health club.

At Youfit, Berks said, the emphasis is on catering to the average person. As a result, the equipment mostly consists of cardio machines and basic body building equipment, such as machines for chest presses and bicep curls. And in the free-weight section, none of the dumbbells exceeds 75 pounds.

Berks has no qualms about saying his gym is not a good fit for professional athletes and power-lifters. But he's happy to tout the high-tech features on the exercise bikes, which come equipped with flatscreens and iPod docks.

"Those are more important to the average citizen who wants to be entertained while they're doing their workout," Berks said. "The color schemes we use -- your real serious body-builder probably doesn't, you know, feel his masculinity is strengthened by our color scheme. And we're OK with that."